West Mercia Police 'missed opportunities' to investigate officer's treatment of vulnerable women

A new report following an inspection of the force highlights the case of an officer who was under investigation for several allegations of rape while off-duty.

However, the report finds it "surprising" that West Mercia Police failed to scrutinise his behaviour with vulnerable women he had met on duty.

It follows an inspection of the force in September 2021 by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

The inspection was to determine how effectively the force vets its officers and staff, how the force protects the information and data it holds, and how the force tackles potential corruption.

In reference to the aforementioned officer, the newly published report said: "The force needs to improve the way it collects intelligence after reports of sexual misconduct.

"We found that the force fails to carry out all relevant inquiries to establish if reported behaviour presents further risk to the public.

"For example, we identified a case in which an officer was under investigation for several off-duty allegations of rape.

"But the force had missed some opportunities to scrutinise his behaviour with vulnerable females he had met during his duties. We find this surprising."

The inspection also found that the force "hasn't made good enough progress to improve its links between the [counter-corruption unit] and organisations that support vulnerable people.

"Similarly, it hasn’t made good enough progress to make sure it has enough officers and staff with the right skills to look proactively for intelligence relating to [abuse of position for a sexual purpose]."

The report made the following recommendations for West Mercia Police:

• The force should improve its links between the counter-corruption unit and organisations that support vulnerable people, to raise awareness of abuse of position for a sexual purpose

• The force should make sure it has enough people with the right skills to look proactively for intelligence on abuse of position for a sexual purpose

• The force should introduce a system to monitor and respond to disproportionality in its vetting decisions

• The force should implement its plans and make full use of the IT monitoring software when it is introduced

Alex Murray, West Mercia Police Deputy Chief Constable, said: “I welcome today’s report and the recommendations it has given us as a force to address.

“I, along with all our officers and staff, joined the force to do the very best for the communities and it is vital we have the right people in our organisation to allow us to keep the people we serve safe and share our values.

“Our officers are an incredible team of hard-working people, and we will not let a few erode the confidence of the public.

“Part of that is ensuring we have and adhere to the highest standards of behaviour in how we treat each other and the public.

“We’re confident that our vetting process is robust and comprehensive. However, the reality is that every force – including our own - needs to continue to take action to root out those individuals who should not be working in a position of trust and power.

“We’ve recently invested in our vetting and professional standards team to ensure we have the resources needed to achieve this.

“Let me assure you, we do not tolerate any member of our workforce treating people badly or inappropriately, or any form of dishonesty.

“We can and do take swift action to remove officers who do not uphold our standards. On or off duty, we are professionals, representing not just the force but the police service. There are no ‘ifs or buts’.”